Are you wondering what the best way to kill time during a layover is? Or, you are thinking of adding a long layover to your next trip? Either way, we may have just the most thrilling recommendations for you.
After being stuck in Charles-de-Gaulle Airport for eight hours (8 hrs) following an amazing trip to Tanzania during the past winter, we’re learning to travel smarter while leveraging existing free layover programs organized either by some airlines or the city councils of the following cities.
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Table of Contents:
Doha Hammad International Airport City Tours | Skip to details
Singapore Changi Airport City Tour | Skip to details
Istanbul Airport City Tours | Skip to details
Incheon International Airport City Tours | Skip to details
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport City Tours | Skip to details
Ethiopian Airlines Hotel layover program | Skip to details
Here at MTM, we recognize that every minute of breath is precious and therefore we seek to help you turn lemons into lemonade and make layovers more exciting.
Hence, we bring to you today's article on how to make the most out of your next layover in these hub airports. And guess what? All tours are affiliated with the airports therefore, they are freeeeee!
We’ve personally experienced the one by Ethiopian Airlines and Turkish Airlines recently!
So buckle up, stay tuned and let’s share the details with you ahead of you planning your next trip!
1. Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) Free City Tours:
Discover the glamorous Arabian city by taking advantage of this courtesy of Qatar Airways in collaboration with the Qatar Tourism Authority. Here are some interesting things you would experience within a five-mile radius before your adjourning flight: the Museum of Islamic Art, the Souq Waqif, desert safaris, and banyan tree spas.
Tours have four starting times: two in the morning and two in the late afternoon hours. Each tour lasts for a maximum of three hours. Thus, a minimum of five hours of spare time in your next layover can afford you these free city tours. Interestingly, a complimentary visa, a bottle of water and a good English-speaking tour guide will be available on tour.
Looking for a hotel near Doha Hamad International Airport? We got you check this map below for any hotel matching your budget.
2. Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) Free City Tour:
The Changi airport offers a free city tour for tourists with at least six hours to spare. With three different itineraries available, a bus carries tourists of similar itinerary choices for tours that could each last about three hours under professional guidance. These free tours run daily and thus, are always available for all passengers with layovers lasting between six and twenty-four hours.
Oh by the way, in case you never knew, while enjoying your spree of Singapore, you do not drop a litter or even attempt to spit any substance out your mouth; you will pay a fine for it, my dear tourist! The city is nicknamed "The Fine City" for true reasons.
If at all you prefer to stay indoors for your layover, terminal-to-terminal affords you enough fun as well. Go through playgrounds to green gardens as you explore the giant SIN. Just make sure the attractions do not make you miss your next flight.
Fancy visiting Asia Soon? Will Why not add Singapore to your long layover list now?
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Free City Tours That Will Electrify Your Next Airport Layover
3. Istanbul Airport (IST) Free City Tours:
Within a three-mile radius, the best of Turkish art can be discovered close to the IBN
airport. Tell you what? You could have a really electrifying experience just strolling the city and its immediate environs by utilizing the free city tour operated by the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism specially curated for transiting passengers at the Istanbul International Airport.
Under experienced tour guides, these free tickets to see the Turkish city include a visit to Hagia Sophia; The Basilica The Iconic Blue Mosque among other monumental places.
Our founder, Christina, has been on one of the six available day & night tours under the Turkish Airlines Stopover program. Interestingly, you qualify for either a Free city Tour or a complimentary overnight stay in one of their partner hotels if your layover time is over twelve hours.
Arriving at IST airport at about 7 PM, she opted for the day tour over the night stay in a partner hotel. Appearing again at the airport early in the morning, Christina's group tour of the city began at about 8 AM in a big coach.
In her own words; "...I did see the most amazing sunrise with incredible pink hues in the sky. The city has intriguing architecture and a fine blend of Western and Eastern cultures. The city tour was a great occasion to socialize with fellow passengers across the globe on a lonely solo trip...and just another occasion to check off another country from the bucket list you know.
Need inspiration for activities in your next solo trip? Why not check what your destination has to offer and plan according to your budget and your preferences? We got you!
Mhm! I had a typical Turkish breakfast with coffee and a pretzel during a coffee stop over by the Bosporus River. Believe me, the view is truly incredible...Oh, and Istanbul is surprisingly a city of stray cats. Far more than Egypt...
All in all depending on the package, I understand some city tours include walks and bus rides. So the Turkish Airlines Stopover Program is very dynamic."
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4. Incheon International Airport (ICN) Free City Tours:
While finding yourself with a few hours to spare in South Korea, may we suggest to you how to pause the travel and play a little bit. Explore the regal beauty and elegance of the famous Incheon city .
Ride on the free city tour for at least one hour. This free ride gives tourists the advantage of seeing the unique Buddhist temples, a shopping tour, cultural tour among others.
Available also, to tourists seeking a fun and memorable layover experience is a four-hour transit tour to give tourist groups a glimmer into North Korea.
It is important to note however that this may come at a personal cost to the seeker. Also, one has the chance to experience a spa in the air experience? Yes, in the air, you heard it right. Experience Korean culture by taking a forty-minute train ride to the Jogyesa Temples to experience Buddhist tradition.
Need inspiration for activities in your next solo trip? Why not check what your destination has to offer and plan according to your budget and your preferences? We got you!
5. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) Free City Tours:
You have found yourself in the heart of this fascinating and vibrant East Asian nation. Here are some interesting places to visit in an attempt to maximize your layover experience. Therefore, take on the free city tour and discover the Daxi Bridge, The Jieyun Temples and other sites included in the itinerary of the tour operations. Established in 1996, this jaw-dropping place has very interesting story to its being.
Maybe Daxi alone is not enough. How about you familiarize yourself with intriguing Chinese art at the Carmine Gallery?
You want to try some shrimp while in Taiwan. You'd thank us later.
6. Ethiopian Airlines Free Hotel Layover program:
This free hotel layover program is designed by the airline to experience the city of Addis Ababa. Our founder, Christina, had the pleasure of recently experiencing the Ethiopian Airlines Hotel stopover program during a long layover. Navigating the airport could be a bit compelling as an immigration officer won’t let you enter the country without a written hotel booking.
Therefore, to be safe, you need to find the correct Ethiopian Airlines desk that will issue you the following documents to proceed:
A transit visa to let you enter the country
A hotel booking. Ask for Skylight, the brand-new 5-star hotel owned by Ethiopian Airlines. Currently one of the largest hotels in Africa.
Dinner and Breakfast vouchers for you to eat at the hotel restaurants
A Shuttle pass for you to be driven to the hotel safely with other passengers.
Put it simply, it was a beautiful experience, but, generally flights the next morning are early so if you have the energy to join other travellers and experience nightlife in Addis Ababa or go and have an early night, the choice is yours.
Learning to maximize value for money could never have been better shared than letting you in on some of the tips for managing layovers. Therefore, while booking your next flight, it wouldn't hurt to save up a little extra cash to explore an unplanned city while en route to your destination. Hey, wise men say: "unplanned trips are the best."
Over 30 + Stopover Programs exist worldwide. Interestingly, they are mostly concentrated in Arab countries, Turkey and Asian nations.
Ethiopian Airlines is the only African airline offering a complimentary hotel service post the pandemic. Kenya Airlines used to run it before the pandemic too for passengers from Europe and the United Kingdom. Who knows, they too may bounce back soon.
Useful Links To Understanding More About Free Layover Programs:
For further reading on what to do in a layover, tap HERE.
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